CN110945819B - Enhanced machine type communication physical uplink control channel design - Google Patents

Abstract

Methods, systems, and devices for wireless communication are described. A User Equipment (UE) may receive a configuration message indicating a payload size configuration for a Machine Type Communication (MTC) Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) message. The UE may generate an MTC PUCCH message based at least in part on the payload size configuration and a PUCCH format for MTC uplink control information sent by the UE. The UE may transmit the MTC PUCCH message over a plurality of RBs in a frequency domain.

Description

Enhanced machine type communication physical uplink control channel design

Cross-referencing

The present patent application claims priority from U.S. patent application No.16/045,206 entitled "Enhanced Machine Type Communications Physical Uplink Control Channel Design" filed by Liu et al on 25.7.2018 and U.S. provisional patent application No.62/539,407 entitled "Enhanced Machine Type Communications Physical Uplink Control Channel Design" filed by Liu et al on 31.7.2017, each of which is assigned to the assignee of the present application and is hereby expressly incorporated herein.

Technical Field

The following relates generally to wireless communications, and more particularly to a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) design for enhanced machine type communication (eMTC) in a shared or unlicensed spectrum.

Background

Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, and so on. These systems may be capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing the available system resources (e.g., time, frequency, and power). Examples of such multiple access systems include fourth generation (4G) systems, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems or LTE-advanced (LTE-a) systems, and fifth generation (5G) systems, which may be referred to as New Radio (NR) systems. These systems may use techniques such as Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), or discrete fourier transform spread orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (DFT-S-OFDM). A wireless multiple-access communication system may include some base stations or network access nodes that each simultaneously support communication for multiple communication devices, which may also be referred to as User Equipment (UE).

A particular wireless communication system may include Machine Type Communication (MTC) devices (e.g., UEs) that communicate in a designated radio frequency spectrum band. For example, an MTC device may include a communication from a sensor or gauge integrated device to measure or capture information and relay the information to a central server or application program that may utilize the information or present the information to a human interacting with the program or application. However, a particular radio frequency spectrum band may be configured such that any device communicating in the radio frequency spectrum band must satisfy various communication configuration protocols (e.g., maximum transmit power, Power Spectral Density (PSD) requirements, bandwidth constraints, etc.). While many uplink and/or downlink channel communications may satisfy these protocols, other types of communications (e.g., PUCCH communications for MTC (or eMTC) devices) may need to be designed to conform to the protocols for a particular radio frequency spectrum band.

Disclosure of Invention

The described technology relates to improved methods, systems, devices, or apparatuses for physical uplink control signaling for enhanced machine type communication (eMTC) (eMTC-U) in shared or unlicensed spectrum. In general, the described technology provides an eMTC-U PUCCH design that supports communication in a particular radio frequency spectrum band (e.g., a frequency band such as the 5GHz industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) band). For example, the described techniques may support eMTC-U PUCCH designs that comply with bandwidth, transmit power, and other requirements associated with communicating in a radio frequency spectrum band. For example, a base station may provide, independently or in conjunction with a network device, an indication of a Machine Type Communication (MTC) PUCCH message configuration to a User Equipment (UE). The base station may select the payload size configuration to be used by the UE (and other UEs in communication with the base station). In some aspects, the payload size configuration may indicate, either directly or indirectly (e.g., by design), an amount of data that the UE may send in the MTC PUCCH message. In some aspects, the payload size configuration may design the MTC PUCCH message to be transmitted in a plurality of Resource Blocks (RBs). The base station may send the payload size configuration to the UE in a configuration message, and the UE may generate a MTC PUCCH message using the payload size configuration. The UE may send the MTC PUCCH message to the base station over a plurality of RBs.

A method of wireless communication is described. The method may include: receiving, at a UE, a configuration message indicating a payload size configuration for an MTC PUCCH message; generating an MTC PUCCH message based at least in part on the payload size configuration and a PUCCH format for MTC uplink control information sent by the UE; and transmitting the MTC PUCCH message through a plurality of RBs in a frequency domain.

An apparatus for wireless communication is described. The apparatus may include: means for receiving, at a UE, a configuration message indicating a payload size configuration for an MTC PUCCH message; means for generating an MTC PUCCH message based at least in part on the payload size configuration and a PUCCH format for MTC uplink control information sent by the UE; and means for transmitting the MTC PUCCH message over a plurality of RBs in a frequency domain.

Another apparatus for wireless communication is described. The apparatus may include a processor, a memory in electronic communication with the processor, and instructions stored in the memory. The instructions may be operable to cause the processor to: receiving, at a UE, a configuration message indicating a payload size configuration for an MTC PUCCH message; generating an MTC PUCCH message based at least in part on the payload size configuration and a PUCCH format for MTC uplink control information sent by the UE; and transmitting the MTC PUCCH message through a plurality of RBs in a frequency domain.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium for wireless communication is described. The non-transitory computer-readable medium may include instructions operable to cause a processor to: receiving, at a UE, a configuration message indicating a payload size configuration for an MTC PUCCH message; generating an MTC PUCCH message based at least in part on the payload size configuration and a PUCCH format for MTC uplink control information sent by the UE; and transmitting the MTC PUCCH message through a plurality of RBs in a frequency domain.

Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described above may further include processes, features, means, or instructions for identifying data symbols to be used for modulating data bits in a computer-generated sequence (CGS) of an RB of the plurality of RBs based at least in part on the payload size configuration. Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described above may further include processes, features, means, or instructions for modulating each CGS of the RB, where each CGS of the RB may be modulated with a different data symbol.

Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described above may further include processes, features, means, or instructions for identifying data symbols to be used for modulating data bits in a CGS of an RB of the plurality of RBs based at least in part on the payload size configuration. Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described above may further include processes, features, means, or instructions for modulating each CGS of the RB, where each CGS of the RB may be modulated with the same data symbol.

Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described above may further include processes, features, means, or instructions for repeating reference signals in the plurality of RBs of the MTC PUCCH message.

Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described above may further include processes, features, means, or instructions for applying, for the UE, a sequence to different tones of the plurality of RBs of the MTC PUCCH message, wherein the sequence may be non-repeating in the plurality of RBs in the frequency domain.

Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described above may further include processes, features, means, or instructions for applying, for the UE, the same cyclic shift to each of the plurality of RBs of the MTC PUCCH message. Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described above may further include processes, features, means, or instructions for applying, for the UE, the same cover code for different symbol periods in each of the plurality of RBs of the MTC PUCCH message.

Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described above may further include processes, features, means, or instructions for applying a first sequence to a first subset of RBs according to a first PUCCH format. Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described above may further include processes, features, means, or instructions for applying a second sequence to the first subset of RBs according to a second PUCCH format, wherein the first sequence may be the same as the second sequence.

Some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described above may further include processes, features, means, or instructions for applying a first cyclic shift to a first portion of the first subset of RBs. Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described above may further include processes, features, means, or instructions for applying a second cyclic shift to a second portion of the first subset of RBs, wherein the first cyclic shift may be different from the second cyclic shift.

Some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described above may further include processes, features, means, or instructions for using different reference signal and data symbol position configurations for a first portion of the first subset of RBs and a second portion of the first subset of RBs.

Some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described above may further include processes, features, means, or instructions for using the same base sequence for a first portion of the first subset of RBs and a second portion of the first subset of RBs.

A method of wireless communication is described. The method may include: selecting a payload size configuration for an MTC PUCCH message from a UE, the payload size configuration comprising a maximum amount of data available for the MTC PUCCH message; sending a configuration message to the UE indicating the payload size configuration; and receiving the MTC PUCCH message from the UE over a plurality of RBs.

An apparatus for wireless communication is described. The apparatus may include: means for selecting a payload size configuration for an MTC PUCCH message from a UE, the payload size configuration comprising a maximum amount of data available for the MTC PUCCH message; means for transmitting a configuration message to the UE indicating the payload size configuration; and means for receiving the MTC PUCCH message from the UE over a plurality of RBs.

Another apparatus for wireless communication is described. The apparatus may include a processor, a memory in electronic communication with the processor, and instructions stored in the memory. The instructions may be operable to cause the processor to: selecting a payload size configuration for an MTC PUCCH message from a UE, the payload size configuration comprising a maximum amount of data available for the MTC PUCCH message; sending a configuration message to the UE indicating the payload size configuration; and receiving the MTC PUCCH message from the UE over a plurality of RBs.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium for wireless communication is described. The non-transitory computer-readable medium may include instructions operable to cause a processor to: selecting a payload size configuration for an MTC PUCCH message from a UE, the payload size configuration comprising a maximum amount of data available for the MTC PUCCH message; sending a configuration message to the UE indicating the payload size configuration; and receiving the MTC PUCCH message from the UE over a plurality of RBs.

Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described above may further include processes, features, means, or instructions for demodulating each CGS of the plurality of RBs of the MTC PUCCH message, where each CGS of the plurality of RBs may be modulated with a different data symbol.

Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described above may further include processes, features, means, or instructions for demodulating each CGS of the plurality of RBs of the MTC PUCCH message, where each CGS of the plurality of RBs may be modulated with a same data symbol.

Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described above may further include processes, features, means, or instructions for receiving a reference signal in the plurality of RBs of the MTC PUCCH message, wherein the reference signal may be repeated in the plurality of RBs.

Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described above may further include processes, features, means, or instructions for recovering each of the plurality of RBs of the MTC PUCCH message using a sequence of different tones applied to the plurality of RBs of the PUCCH message, where the sequence may be non-repeating in the plurality of RBs.

Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described above may further include processes, features, means, or instructions for reverse cyclic shifting each of the plurality of RBs of the MTC PUCCH message using the same cyclic shift code for the UE. Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described above may further include processes, features, means, or instructions for recovering each of the plurality of RBs of the MTC PUCCH message using the same cover code.

Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described above may further include processes, features, means, or instructions for identifying a first cyclic shift subset to apply to the first RB subset according to a first PUCCH format. Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described above may further include processes, features, means, or instructions for identifying a second cyclic shift subset applied to the first subset of RBs according to a second PUCCH format.

Some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described above may further include processes, features, means, or instructions for recovering a first portion of the first subset of RBs using a first cyclic shift. Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described above may further include processes, features, means, or instructions for recovering a second portion of the first subset of RBs using a second cyclic shift, wherein the first cyclic shift may be different from the second cyclic shift.

Some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described above may further include processes, features, means, or instructions for recovering a first portion of the first subset of RBs and a second portion of the first subset of RBs according to different reference signal and data symbol position configurations.

Some examples of the method, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described above may further include processes, features, means, or instructions for recovering a first portion of the first subset of RBs and a second portion of the first subset of RBs from the same base sequence.

Drawings

Fig. 1 illustrates one example of a wireless communication system supporting an eMTC-U PUCCH design in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 2 illustrates one example of payload configuration supporting eMTC-U PUCCH design in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 3 illustrates one example of payload configuration supporting eMTC-U PUCCH design in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 4 illustrates one example of payload configuration supporting eMTC-U PUCCH design in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 5 illustrates one example of a process to support eMTC-U PUCCH design in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 6 through 8 illustrate block diagrams of devices supporting eMTC-U PUCCH design according to aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 9 illustrates a block diagram of a system including a UE supporting an eMTC-U PUCCH design in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure.

Fig. 10 through 12 illustrate block diagrams of devices supporting eMTC-U PUCCH design according to aspects of the present disclosure.

Fig. 13 illustrates a block diagram of a system including a base station supporting an eMTC-U PUCCH design in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure.

Fig. 14 through 17 illustrate a method for wireless communication in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

Aspects of the present disclosure are initially described in the context of a wireless communication system. Aspects of the described techniques may provide for extending a bandwidth of enhanced machine type communication (eMTC) Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) messages to support communication in a particular radio frequency spectrum band. For example, the described techniques may include: a Machine Type Communication (MTC) (or eMTC) PUCCH message is sent over multiple Resource Blocks (RBs) to provide sufficient bandwidth for MTC PUCCH message transmissions in a radio frequency spectrum band, and in some examples, to spread the amount of data that may be transmitted in the MTC PUCCH message. For example, a base station may select a payload size configuration for an MTC PUCCH message for a User Equipment (UE). The payload size configuration may also determine the amount of data the UE has available for MTC PUCCH messages. For example, the payload size configuration may extend the MTC PUCCH message from one RB to multiple RBs. This may extend the bandwidth used by the MTC PUCCH message, as well as provide additional data capacity and/or redundancy options for the MTC PUCCH message. The base station may send a configuration message to the UE indicating the payload size configuration. The UE may receive the configuration message and generate an MTC PUCCH message using the payload size configuration. The UE may send the MTC PUCCH message to the base station over multiple RBs.

Aspects of the present disclosure are further illustrated and described by and with reference to apparatus diagrams, system diagrams, and flow charts related to PUCCH design for eMTC communication (eMTC-U) design in a shared or unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band.

Fig. 1 illustrates one example of a wireless communication system 100 in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. The wireless communication system 100 includes base stations 105, UEs 115, and a core network 130. In some examples, the wireless communication system 100 may be a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, an LTE-advanced (LTE-a) network, or a New Radio (NR) network. In some cases, the wireless communication system 100 may support enhanced broadband communications, ultra-reliable (i.e., mission critical) communications, low latency communications, or communications utilizing low cost and low complexity devices.

The base station 105 may wirelessly communicate with the UE115 via one or more base station antennas. The base stations 105 described herein may include or may be referred to by those skilled in the art as base station transceivers, wireless base stations, access points, wireless transceivers, node bs, evolved node bs (enbs), next generation node bs or gigabit node bs (any of which may be referred to as gnbs), home node bs, home evolved node bs, or some other suitable terminology. The wireless communication system 100 may include different types of base stations 105 (e.g., macro or small cell base stations). The UEs 115 described herein may be capable of communicating with various types of base stations 105 and network devices, including macro enbs, small cell enbs, gnbs, relay base stations, and the like.

Each base station 105 may be associated with a particular geographic coverage area 110 in which communications with various UEs 115 are supported. Each base station 105 may provide communication coverage for a respective geographic coverage area 110 via a communication link 125, and the communication link 125 between the base station 105 and the UE115 may utilize one or more carriers. The communication links 125 shown in the wireless communication system 100 may include uplink transmissions from the UEs 115 to the base stations 105 or downlink transmissions from the base stations 105 to the UEs 115. Downlink transmissions may also be referred to as forward link transmissions, and uplink transmissions may also be referred to as reverse link transmissions.

The geographic coverage area 110 of a base station 105 can be divided into sectors that make up only a portion of the geographic coverage area 110, and each sector can be associated with a cell. For example, each base station 105 may provide communication coverage for a macro cell, a small cell, a hot spot, or other type of cell, or various combinations thereof. In some examples, the base stations 105 may be mobile and thus provide communication coverage for a moving geographic coverage area 110. In some examples, different geographic coverage areas 110 associated with different technologies may overlap, and the overlapping geographic coverage areas 110 associated with different technologies may be supported by the same base station 105 or by different base stations 105. The wireless communication system 100 may include, for example, a heterogeneous LTE/LTE-a or NR network in which different types of base stations 105 provide coverage for various geographic coverage areas 110.

The term "cell" refers to a logical communication entity used for communication (e.g., over a carrier) with the base station 105 and may be associated with an identifier (e.g., Physical Cell Identifier (PCID), Virtual Cell Identifier (VCID)) used to distinguish neighboring cells operating via the same or different carrier. In some examples, one carrier may support multiple cells, and different cells may be configured according to different protocol types (e.g., MTC, narrowband internet of things (NB-IoT), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), or other protocol types) that may provide access to different types of devices. In some cases, the term "cell" may refer to a portion (e.g., a sector) of geographic coverage area 110 over which a logical entity may operate.

UEs 115 may be dispersed throughout the wireless communication system 100, and each UE115 may be fixed or mobile. UE115 may also be referred to as a mobile device, a wireless device, a remote device, a handheld device, or a subscriber device or some other suitable terminology, where a "device" may also be referred to as a unit, station, terminal, or client. The UE115 may also be a personal electronic device such as a cellular telephone, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a tablet computer, a laptop computer, or a personal computer. In some examples, the UE115 may also refer to a Wireless Local Loop (WLL) station, an internet of things (IoT) device, an internet of everything (IoE) device, or an MTC device, among others, which may be implemented in various items such as appliances, vehicles, gauges, and so forth.

Some UEs 115, such as MTC or IoT devices, may be low cost or low complexity devices and may provide automated communication between machines (e.g., communicated via machine-to-machine (M2M)). M2M communication or MTC may refer to data communication techniques that allow devices to communicate with each other or the base station 105 without human intervention. In some examples, M2M communication or MTC may include communication from a device that integrates sensors or gauges to measure or capture information and relay the information to a central server or application program that may utilize the information or present the information to a human interacting with the program or application. Some UEs 115 may be designed to collect information or enable automated behavior of machines. Examples of applications for MTC devices include smart metering, inventory monitoring, water level monitoring, device monitoring, healthcare monitoring, wildlife monitoring, meteorological and geological event monitoring, fleet management and tracking, remote security sensing, physical access control, and transaction-based business billing. eMTC devices may be based on MTC protocols and support lower bandwidth, lower data rates, and reduced transmit power in the uplink or downlink, ending with significantly longer battery life (e.g., extending battery life to several years). Reference to MTC may also refer to eMTC configured devices.

Some UEs 115 may be configured to use a mode of operation that reduces power consumption, such as half-duplex communications (e.g., a mode that supports unidirectional communication via transmission or reception without simultaneously supporting transmission and reception). In some examples, half-duplex communication may be performed at a reduced peak rate. Other power saving techniques for the UE115 include: enter a power-saving "deep sleep" mode when not engaged in active communication or operate in limited bandwidth (e.g., according to narrowband communication). In some cases, the UE115 may be designed to support critical functions (e.g., mission critical functions), and the wireless communication system 100 may be configured to provide ultra-reliable communication for these functions.

In some cases, the UE115 may also be capable of communicating directly (e.g., using peer-to-peer (P2P) or device-to-device (D2D) protocols) with other UEs 115. One or more UEs 115 in the group of UEs 115 communicating with D2D may be located within the geographic coverage area 110 of the base station 105. Other UEs 115 in such a group may be located outside the geographic coverage area 110 of the base station 105 or otherwise unable to receive transmissions from the base station 105. In some cases, a group of UEs 115 communicating via D2D may utilize a one-to-many (1: M) system in which each UE115 transmits to every other UE115 in the group. In some cases, the base station 105 facilitates scheduling of resources for D2D communication. In other cases, D2D communication between UEs 115 is enabled without involving base stations 105.

The base stations 105 may communicate with the core network 130 and with each other. For example, the base station 105 may interface with the core network 130 over a backhaul link 132 (e.g., via S1 or other interface). The base stations 105 may communicate with each other over backhaul links 134 (e.g., via X2 or other interface) or directly (e.g., directly between base stations 105) or indirectly (e.g., via the core network 130).

The core network 130 may provide user authentication, access authorization, tracking, Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity, and other access, routing, or mobility functions. The core network 130 may be an Evolved Packet Core (EPC) that may include at least one Mobility Management Entity (MME), at least one serving gateway (S-GW), and at least one Packet Data Network (PDN) gateway (P-GW). The MME may manage non-access stratum (e.g., control plane) functions such as mobility, authentication, and bearer management for UEs 115 served by base stations 105 associated with the EPC. User IP packets may be transported through the S-GW, which itself may be connected to the P-GW. The P-GW may provide IP address assignment as well as other functions. The P-GW may be connected to network operator IP services. The operator IP services may include access to the internet, intranets, IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) or Packet Switched (PS) streaming services.

At least some of the network devices, such as base stations 105, may include subcomponents such as access network entities, which may be one example of an Access Node Controller (ANC). Each access network entity may communicate with the UE115 through some other access network transport entity, which may be referred to as a radio head, an intelligent radio head, or a transmission/reception point (TRP). In some configurations, the various functions of each access network entity or base station 105 may be distributed among various network devices (e.g., radio heads and access network controllers) or consolidated into a single network device (e.g., base station 105).

The wireless communication system 100 may operate using one or more frequency bands, typically in the range of 300MHz to 300 GHz. In general terms, the region from 300MHz to 3GHz is referred to as the Ultra High Frequency (UHF) region or the decimeter band, since the wavelength ranges from about one decimeter to one meter in length. UHF waves can be blocked or redirected by building and environmental features. However, these waves may penetrate the structure sufficiently for the macro cell to serve the UE115 located indoors. The transmission of UHF waves may be associated with smaller antennas and shorter distances (e.g., less than 100km) compared to the transmission of smaller frequencies and longer waves using the High Frequency (HF) or Very High Frequency (VHF) portions of the spectrum located below 300 MHz.

The wireless communication system 100 may also operate in the ultra high frequency (SHF) region using a frequency band from 3GHz to 30GHz, also referred to as a centimeter band. The SHF area includes frequency bands such as the 5GHz industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) band that can be opportunistically used by devices that can tolerate interference from other users.

The wireless communication system 100 may also operate in the Extremely High Frequency (EHF) region of the spectrum, also referred to as the millimeter-band (mm-band), e.g., from 30GHz to 300 GHz. In some examples, the wireless communication system 100 may support millimeter wave (mmW) communication between the UE115 and the base station 105, and the EHF antennas of the respective devices may be even smaller and more closely spaced than UHF antennas. In some cases, this may facilitate the use of antenna arrays within the UE 115. However, propagation of EHF transmissions may be constrained to even greater atmospheric attenuation and shorter distances than SHF or UHF transmissions. The techniques disclosed herein may be used across transmissions using one or more different frequency regions, and the use of designations of frequency bands across these frequency regions may vary by country or regulatory body.

In some cases, the wireless communication system 100 may utilize both licensed and unlicensed radio frequency spectrum bands. For example, the wireless communication system 100 may use Licensed Assisted Access (LAA), LTE-unlicensed (LTE-U) radio access technology, or NR technology in an unlicensed frequency band, such as the 5GHz ISM band. When operating in the unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band, wireless devices such as base stations 105 and UEs 115 may use Listen Before Talk (LBT) procedures to ensure that frequency channels are free before transmitting data. In some cases, operation in the unlicensed band may be configured based on Carrier Aggregation (CA) in conjunction with Component Carriers (CCs) (e.g., LAAs) operating in the licensed band. Operations in the unlicensed spectrum may include downlink transmissions, uplink transmissions, peer-to-peer transmissions, or a combination of these. Duplexing in the unlicensed spectrum may be based on Frequency Division Duplexing (FDD), Time Division Duplexing (TDD), or a combination of both.

In some examples, a base station 105 or UE115 may be equipped with multiple antennas that may be used to use techniques such as transmit diversity, receive diversity, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communications, or beamforming. For example, a wireless communication system may use a transmission scheme between a sender device (e.g., base station 105) and a receiver device (e.g., UE 115), where the sender device is equipped with multiple antennas and the receiver device is equipped with one or more antennas. MIMO communication may use multipath signal propagation to improve spectral efficiency by transmitting or receiving multiple signals via different spatial layers, which may be referred to as spatial multiplexing. The multiple signals may be transmitted, for example, by the sender device via different antennas or different combinations of antennas. Likewise, multiple signals may be received by a receiving device via different antennas or different combinations of antennas. Each of the multiple signals may be referred to as a separate spatial stream and may carry bits associated with the same data stream (e.g., the same codeword) or different data streams. Different spatial layers may be associated with different antenna ports used for channel measurement and reporting. MIMO techniques include single-user MIMO (SU-MIMO) in which a plurality of spatial layers are transmitted to the same receiver device and multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO) in which a plurality of spatial layers are transmitted to a plurality of devices.

Beamforming, which may also be referred to as spatial filtering, directional transmission, or directional reception, is a signal processing technique that may be used at a sender device or a receiver device (e.g., base station 105 or UE 115) to shape or steer an antenna beam (e.g., a transmit beam or a receive beam) along a spatial path between the sender device and the receiver device. Beamforming may be achieved by combining signals transmitted via the antenna elements of an antenna array such that signals propagating in a particular direction in the case of the antenna array experience constructive interference while other signals experience destructive interference. The adjustment to the signals transmitted via the antenna elements may include the sender device or the receiver device applying a particular amplitude and phase offset to the signals carried via each of the antenna elements associated with the device. The adjustments associated with each of the antenna elements may be defined by a set of beamforming weights associated with a particular orientation (e.g., with respect to an antenna array of a sender device or a receiver device or with respect to some other orientation).

In some examples, the base station 105 may use multiple antennas or antenna arrays to perform beamforming operations for directional communications with the UE 115. For example, some signals (e.g., synchronization signals, reference signals, beam selection signals, or other control signals) may be transmitted multiple times in different directions by the base station 105, which may include signals being transmitted according to different sets of beamforming weights associated with different transmit directions. Transmissions in different beam directions may be used (e.g., by the base station 105 or a receiving device such as the UE 115) to identify beam directions for subsequent transmissions and/or receptions by the base station 105. Some signals, such as data signals associated with a particular receiving device, may be transmitted by the base station 105 in a single beam direction (e.g., a direction associated with a receiving device, such as the UE 115). In some examples, a beam direction associated with a transmission along a single beam direction may be determined based at least in part on signals transmitted in different beam directions. For example, the UE115 may receive one or more of the signals transmitted by the base station 105 in different directions, and the UE115 may report to the base station 105 an indication of the signal received for which has the highest signal quality or acceptable signal quality. Although the techniques are described with reference to signals transmitted by the base station 105 in one or more directions, the UE may use similar techniques to transmit signals multiple times in different directions (e.g., to identify a beam direction for subsequent transmission or reception by the UE 115) or to transmit signals in a single direction (e.g., to transmit data to a receiving device).

A receiving device (e.g., UE115, which may be one example of a mmW receiving device) may attempt multiple receive beams when receiving various signals from base station 105, such as synchronization signals, reference signals, beam selection signals, or other control signals. For example, the recipient device may attempt multiple receive directions by: any of these items may be referred to as "listening" according to different receive beams or receive directions by receiving via different antenna sub-arrays, by processing the received signals according to different antenna sub-arrays, by receiving according to different sets of receive beamforming weights applied to signals received at multiple antenna elements of an antenna array, or by processing the received signals according to different sets of receive beamforming weights applied to signals received at multiple antenna elements of an antenna array. In some examples, the receiving device may use a single receive beam to receive along a single beam direction (e.g., when receiving a data signal). A single receive beam may be aligned in a beam direction determined based at least in part on listening from different receive beam directions (e.g., a beam direction determined to have the highest signal strength, the highest signal-to-noise ratio, or acceptable signal quality based at least in part on listening from multiple beam directions).

In some cases, the antennas of a base station 105 or UE115 may be placed within one or more antenna arrays that may support MIMO operation, or transmit or receive beamforming. For example, one or more base station antennas or antenna arrays may be co-located at an antenna assembly (such as an antenna tower). In some cases, antennas or antenna arrays associated with the base station 105 may be placed at a wide variety of geographic locations. The base station 105 may have an antenna array with some rows and columns of antenna ports that the base station 105 may use to support beamforming for communications with the UEs 115. Likewise, the UE115 may have one or more antenna arrays that may support various MIMO or beamforming operations.

In some cases, the wireless communication system 100 may be a packet-based network operating according to a layered protocol stack. In the user plane, communications at the bearer or Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer may be IP-based. In some cases, the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer may perform packet segmentation and reassembly to communicate over logical channels. A Medium Access Control (MAC) layer may perform priority handling and multiplexing of logical channels into transport channels. The MAC layer may also provide retransmissions at the MAC layer using hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) to improve link efficiency. In the control plane, a Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocol layer may provide for the establishment, configuration, and maintenance of RRC connections between UEs 115 supporting radio bearers for user plane data and the base station 105 or core network 130. At the Physical (PHY) layer, transport channels may be mapped to physical channels.

In some cases, the UE115 and the base station 105 may support retransmission of data to increase the likelihood that the data is successfully received. HARQ feedback is a technique that increases the likelihood that data will be correctly received over the communication link 125. HARQ may include a combination of error detection (e.g., using Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC)), Forward Error Correction (FEC), and retransmission (e.g., automatic repeat request (ARQ)). HARQ may improve throughput at the MAC layer under poor radio conditions (e.g., signal-to-noise conditions). In some cases, a wireless device may support simultaneous slot HARQ feedback, where the device may provide HARQ feedback in one particular slot for data received in a previous symbol in the slot. In other cases, the device may provide HARQ feedback in a subsequent time slot or according to some other time interval.

The time interval in LTE or NR may be in a basic time unit (which may be referred to as T, for example)_sA sampling period of 1/30,720,000 seconds). May be based on each having a duration of 10 milliseconds (ms)The radio frame between organizes the time interval of the communication resource, where the frame period can be expressed as T_f＝307,200T_s. The radio frames may be identified by a System Frame Number (SFN) ranging from 0 to 1023. Each frame may include 10 subframes numbered from 0 to 9, and each subframe may have a duration of 1 ms. One subframe may be further divided into two slots each having a duration of 0.5ms, and each slot may contain 6 or 7 modulation symbol periods (e.g., depending on the length of the cyclic prefix preset to each symbol period). Each symbol period may contain 2048 sample periods, excluding the cyclic prefix. In some cases, a subframe may be the smallest scheduling unit of the wireless communication system 100 and may be referred to as a Transmission Time Interval (TTI). In other cases, the minimum scheduling unit of the wireless communication system 100 may be shorter than a subframe or may be dynamically selected (e.g., in a burst of shortened ttis (sTTI) or in a selected component carrier using sTTI).

In some wireless communication systems, a slot may be further divided into a plurality of mini-slots containing one or more symbols. In some cases, the symbol of the mini-slot or the mini-slot may be the smallest unit of scheduling. Each symbol may differ in duration depending on the subcarrier spacing or frequency band of operation. Further, some wireless communication systems may implement timeslot aggregation in which multiple timeslots or mini-timeslots are aggregated together and used for communication between the UE115 and the base station 105.

The term "carrier" refers to a set of radio frequency spectrum resources having a defined physical layer structure for supporting communication over the communication link 125. For example, the carrier of the communication link 125 may comprise a portion of the radio frequency spectrum band operated in accordance with physical layer channels of a given radio access technology. Each physical layer channel may carry data, control information, or other signaling. A carrier may be associated with a predefined frequency channel (e.g., E-UTRA absolute radio frequency channel number (EARFCN)) and may be located according to a channel grid for discovery by UEs 115. The carriers may be downlink or uplink (e.g., in FDD mode), or configured to carry downlink and uplink communications (e.g., in TDD mode). In some examples, the signal waveform transmitted over a carrier may be composed of multiple subcarriers (e.g., using multicarrier modulation (MCM) techniques such as OFDM or DFT-s-OFDM).

The organization of the carriers may be different for different radio access technologies (e.g., LTE-A, NR, etc.). For example, communication over carriers may be organized according to TTIs or slots, each of which may include user data and control information or signaling to support decoding of the user data. The carrier may also include dedicated acquisition signaling (e.g., synchronization signals or system information, etc.) and control signaling that coordinate the operation of the carrier. In some examples (e.g., in a carrier aggregation configuration), a carrier may also have acquisition signaling or control signaling that coordinates the operation of other carriers.

The physical channels may be multiplexed on the carriers according to various techniques. The physical control channels and physical data channels may be multiplexed on the downlink carrier using, for example, Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) techniques, Frequency Division Multiplexing (FDM) techniques, or hybrid TDM-FDM techniques. In some examples, the control information transmitted in the physical control channel may be distributed in a cascaded manner between different control regions (e.g., between a common control region or common search space and one or more UE-specific control regions or UE-specific search spaces).

A carrier may be associated with a particular bandwidth of the radio frequency spectrum, and in some examples, the carrier bandwidth may be referred to as a carrier or "system bandwidth" of the wireless communication system 100. For example, the carrier bandwidth may be one of some predetermined bandwidths (e.g., 1.4, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20, 40, or 80MHz) of a carrier for a particular radio access technology. In some examples, each served UE115 may be configured to operate on a portion of or the entire carrier bandwidth. In other examples, some UEs 115 may be configured for operation using a narrowband protocol type associated with a predefined portion or range within a carrier (e.g., a set of subcarriers or RBs) (e.g., "in-band" deployment of narrowband protocol types).

In a system using MCM technology, one Resource Element (RE) may consist of one symbol period (e.g., the duration of one modulation symbol) and one subcarrier, where the symbol period and subcarrier spacing are inversely related. The number of bits carried by each RE may depend on the modulation scheme (e.g., the order of the modulation scheme). Thus, the more REs the UE115 receives, and the higher the order of the modulation scheme, the higher the data rate of the UE115 may be. In a MIMO system, wireless communication resources may refer to a combination of radio frequency spectrum resources, time resources, and spatial resources (e.g., spatial layers), and the use of multiple spatial layers may further improve the data rate of communications with the UE 115.

Devices of the wireless communication system 100 (e.g., base stations 105 or UEs 115) may have a hardware configuration that supports communication over a particular carrier bandwidth or may be configurable to support communication over one of a set of carrier bandwidths. In some examples, the wireless communication system 100 may include a base station 105 and/or a UE115 that may support simultaneous communication via carriers associated with more than one different carrier bandwidth.

The wireless communication system 100 may support communication with UEs 115 over multiple cells or carriers — a feature that may be referred to as CA or multi-carrier operation. A UE115 may be configured with multiple downlink CCs and one or more uplink CCs according to a carrier aggregation configuration. Carrier aggregation may be used with both FDD and TDD component carriers.

In some cases, the wireless communication system 100 may utilize an enhanced component carrier (eCC). An eCC may be characterized by one or more of the following features: a wider carrier or frequency channel bandwidth, a shorter symbol duration, a shorter TTI duration, or a modified control channel configuration. In some cases, an eCC may be associated with a carrier aggregation configuration or a dual connectivity configuration (e.g., when multiple serving cells have suboptimal or non-ideal backhaul links). An eCC may also be configured for use in unlicensed spectrum or shared spectrum (e.g., allowing more than one operator to use spectrum there). An eCC, which may be characterized by a wide carrier bandwidth, may include one or more segments that may be utilized by UEs 115 that are unable to monitor the entire carrier bandwidth or that are configured to use a limited carrier bandwidth (e.g., to conserve power).

In some cases, one eCC may utilize a different symbol duration than other CCs, which may include using a shortened symbol duration compared to the symbol duration of the other CCs. Shorter symbol durations may be associated with increased spacing between adjacent subcarriers. A device utilizing an eCC, such as a UE115 or a base station 105, may transmit a wideband signal (e.g., according to a frequency channel or carrier bandwidth of 20, 40, 60, 80MHz, etc.) with a shortened symbol duration (e.g., 16.67 microseconds). A TTI in an eCC may consist of one or more symbol periods. In some cases, the TTI duration (i.e., the number of symbol periods in a TTI) may be variable.

Wireless communication systems, such as NR systems, may utilize any combination of, inter alia, licensed, shared, and unlicensed frequency spectrum bands. Flexibility in eCC symbol duration and subcarrier spacing may allow eCC to be used across multiple frequency spectrums. In some examples, NR shared spectrum may improve spectrum utilization and spectral efficiency, particularly through dynamic vertical (e.g., across frequency) and horizontal (e.g., across time) sharing of resources.

One or more of the base stations 105 may support aspects of the described techniques for eMTC PUCCH message design. For example, the base station 105 may select a payload size configuration for the MTC PUCCH message from the UE 115. The payload size configuration may include a maximum amount of data available for MTC PUCCH messages. The base station 105 may send a configuration message to the UE indicating the payload size configuration. The base station 105 may receive the MTC PUCCH message from the UE115 over multiple RBs.

One or more of the UEs 115 may support aspects of the described techniques for eMTC PUCCH message design. For example, the UE115 may receive a configuration message indicating a payload size configuration for the MTC PUCCH message. The UE115 may generate the MTC PUCCH message based at least in part on the payload size configuration and a PUCCH format for MTC uplink control information sent by the UE 115. The UE115 may send the MTC PUCCH message over multiple RBs in the frequency domain.

Fig. 2 illustrates one example of a payload configuration 200 supporting an eMTC-U PUCCH design in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. In some examples, payload configuration 200 may implement aspects of wireless communication system 100. In some aspects, payload configuration 200 may be implemented by a UE and/or a base station, which may be examples of corresponding devices described herein.

Payload configuration 200 may be one example of a payload size configuration selected by a base station for an MTC PUCCH message from a UE. For example, the base station may select payload configuration 200 as the payload size configuration and send an indication of the payload size configuration to the UE in a configuration message (e.g., in an RRC message). Payload configuration 200 may include MTC PUCCH message transmissions including multiple reference signal REs (e.g., demodulation reference signals (DMRSs)) and data REs. The payload configuration 200 may support a UE to send MTC PUCCH messages over multiple RBs, where three RBs 205, 210 and 215 are shown as a non-limiting example. However, the payload configuration 200 is not limited to three RBs, and may have more than three RBs. Each of RBs 205, 210, and 215 may include seven symbol periods (labeled 0-6), but may have more or fewer symbol periods.

In some aspects, payload configuration 200 includes at least three RBs to support MTC PUCCH message transmission on the 2.4GHz ISM band. For example, each of RBs 205, 210, and 215 may have a corresponding bandwidth of 180kHz, and payload configuration 200 may include three RBs 205, 210, and 215 having an accumulated bandwidth of at least 500 kHz. RBs 205, 210, and 215 may thus conform to the minimum bandwidth of the radio frequency band and may be used for MTC PUCCH messaging.

In some aspects, the payload configuration 200 may be associated with PUCCH format 1 (e.g., machine PUCCH (mpucch) format 1). PUCCH format 1 may include transmitting scheduling request, HARQ feedback, and the like. Here, symbol periods 0, 1, 5, and 6 contain data RE, and symbol periods 2, 3, and 4 contain reference signal RE. However, the payload configuration 200 may not be limited to this number or configuration of data and reference signals REs. In some cases, payload configuration 200 may be configured as at least two options for supporting MTC PUCCH messages in a radio frequency band.

In a first option, the payload configuration 200 may support frequency domain concatenation. The reference signal RE (e.g., DMRS waveform) may be repeated across each RE in RBs 205, 210, and 215. In some cases, a cover code having a length of three (e.g., an Orthogonal Cover Code (OCC)) may be applied to the reference signal. Additionally or alternatively, a cyclic shift may be applied to the reference signal (e.g., a length-12 cyclic shift). In another example, a cover code and/or cyclic shift may be applied to the data. In some aspects, an OCC cover code having a length of 4 may be applied to the data. In some other aspects, a cyclic shift of length 12 may also be applied to the data.

In some aspects of the first option, the data REs (e.g., data waveforms) may include a full length 12 computer-generated sequence (CGS) (e.g., a base sequence) modulated by one data modulation symbol d (i) in each of RBs 205, 210, and 215. In a first example, and for maximum payload, d (0) (e.g., the data symbol used to modulate data in RB 205), d (1) (e.g., the data symbol used to modulate data in RB 210), and d (2) (e.g., the data symbol used to modulate data in RB 215) may be different. This may support six bits of data being sent (e.g., not including channel selection) with payload configuration 200. This example may be used for ACK/NACK for multiple HARQ processes in separate frame structures.

In another example, and for maximum coverage, d (0), d (1), and d (2) may be the same. That is, the data in each of RBs 205, 210 and 215 may be modulated with the same data symbols. This may support the payload configuration 200 sending two bits of data (e.g., not including channel selection), but the data is repeated across different RBs. This may provide increased redundancy and coverage. Thus, the data waveforms of the second and third RBs (e.g., RBs 210 and 215) may be the same as the data waveform of the first RB (e.g., RB 205). In some aspects, the same resource index may be used across the three RBs 205, 210, and 215. According to an aspect of the first option, MTC PUCCH message repetition may be necessary.

In a second option, the payload configuration 200 may include a sequence (e.g., a base sequence) applied to both the reference signal and the data. For example, a single sequence (e.g., a sequence that does not repeat over RBs in the frequency domain) may be applied to the reference signal across each of RBs 205, 210, and 215. In some cases, a single sequence may be a longer sequence (e.g., a Chu sequence) when compared to a length-12 CGS. A cyclic shift of 12 may be applied to the reference signal and the data in a per RB configuration. A length three cover code may be applied to the reference signal and a length four cover code may be applied to the data.

In some aspects of the second option, the sequence may be applied across all allocated RBs of data. Data may be modulated by the same data symbols. Thus, payload configuration 200 according to the second option may carry two bits of data (e.g., not including channel selection). In some aspects, the payload configuration 200 may be used to multiplex up to 36 UEs (e.g., three RBs with a cyclic shift of length 12 are used to multiplex up to 36 UEs). According to an aspect of the second option, MTC PUCCH message repetition may not be necessary.

Fig. 3 illustrates one example of a payload configuration 300 supporting eMTC-U PUCCH design in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. In some examples, payload configuration 300 may implement aspects of wireless communication system 100. In some aspects, payload configuration 300 may be implemented by a UE and/or a base station, which may be examples of corresponding devices described herein.

The payload configuration 300 may be one example of a payload size configuration selected by a base station for MTC PUCCH messages from a UE. For example, the base station may select the payload configuration 300 as the payload size configuration and send an indication of the payload size configuration to the UE in a configuration message (e.g., in an RRC message). Payload configuration 300 may include MTC PUCCH message transmissions including multiple reference signal REs (e.g., DMRS, and data REs). The payload configuration 300 may support a UE to send MTC PUCCH messages over multiple RBs, where three RBs 305, 310, and 315 are shown. However, the payload configuration 300 is not limited to three RBs, and may have more than three RBs. Each of RBs 305, 310, and 315 may include seven symbol periods (labeled 0-6), but may have more or fewer symbol periods.

In some aspects, the payload configuration 300 includes at least three RBs to support MTC PUCCH message transmission on the 2.4GHz ISM band. For example, each of RBs 305, 310, and 315 may have a corresponding bandwidth of 180kHz, and payload configuration 300 may include three RBs 305, 310, and 315 having an accumulated bandwidth of at least 500 kHz. RBs 305, 310, and 315 may thus conform to the minimum bandwidth of the radio frequency band and may be used for MTC PUCCH messaging.

In some aspects, payload configuration 300 may be associated with PUCCH format 2 (e.g., mPUCCH format 2). PUCCH format 2 may include transmitting scheduling requests, HARQ feedback, channel quality indicators, and the like. Here, symbol periods 0, 2, 3, 4, and 6 contain data RE, and symbol periods 1 and 5 contain reference signal RE. However, the payload configuration 300 may not be limited to this number or configuration of data and reference signals REs. In some cases, payload configuration 300 may be configured for at least two options to support MTC PUCCH messages in a radio frequency band.

In a first option, the payload configuration 300 may support frequency domain concatenation. The reference signal RE (e.g., DMRS waveform) may be repeated across each RE in RBs 305, 310, and 315. In some aspects, a cover code (e.g., OCC) having a length of two may be applied to the reference signal. In some aspects, a cyclic shift may also be applied to the reference signal (e.g., a length-12 cyclic shift). In some cases, a cover code and/or cyclic shift may be applied to the data. For example, an OCC cover code having a length of 5 and/or a cyclic shift of length 12 may be applied to the data.

In some aspects of the first option, the data REs (e.g., data waveforms) may include a CGS of all ten lengths 12 modulated by ten data modulation symbols d (i) in each of RBs 305, 310, and 315. In one example, and for maximum payload, each group of ten data symbols in different RBs may be different. This may provide a total of 30 data symbols, 30 data symbols providing a 60 bit data payload. This may be used for ACK/NACK for multiple HARQ processes in separate frame structures and to communicate channel state information in multiple hopping frequencies.

In a second example, and for maximum coverage, the ten data symbols in different RBs may be the same. This may provide ten data symbols for providing a 20-bit data payload. Thus, the data waveform in each of RBs 310 and 315 may be the same as the data waveform in RB 305. In some aspects, the same resource index may be used across the three RBs 305, 310, and 315. In some aspects of the first option, up to 12 UEs may be multiplexed according to the payload configuration 300.

In a second option, the payload configuration 300 may include the sequence being applied to the reference signal. For example, a single sequence (e.g., a sequence that does not repeat over RBs in the frequency domain, such as a Chu sequence) may be applied to the reference signal across each of RBs 305, 310, and 315. A cyclic shift of 12 may be applied to the reference signal and the data in a per RB configuration. A length two cover code may be applied to the reference signal and a length five cover code may be applied to the data.

In some aspects of the second option, the sequence may be applied across all allocated RBs of data. For example, ten long sequences may be modulated by ten data modulation symbols. Accordingly, payload configuration 300 according to the second option may carry 20 bits of data (e.g., not including channel selection). In some aspects, payload configuration 300 may be used to multiplex up to 12 UEs. According to an aspect of the second option, MTC PUCCH message repetition may not be necessary.

In some cases, payload configuration 300 may be associated with PUCCH format 3 (e.g., mPUCCH format 3). PUCCH format 3 may include communication using a frequency hopping scheme using 15 or more frequencies in eMTC-U. For example, eMTC-U transmissions may skip 80MHz in the 2.4GHz ISM band. In some cases, PUCCH format 3 may include additional bits for carrying channel state information compared to other eMTC protocols, which may use fewer hopping frequencies (e.g., four hopping frequencies). The extra bits may be used to capture and carry interference and channel frequency variations (e.g., information used to update whitelists and rate adaptation).

In some aspects of PUCCH format 3, the reference signal may include a sequence (e.g., a single Chu sequence) that is applied across all allocated RBs 305, 310, and 315. A cyclic shift of length 12 may be applied to the reference signal on a per RB basis. A length-2 cover code (e.g., OCC) may be applied over two reference signal symbols (e.g., all allocated RBs) per slot.

In some aspects of PUCCH format 3, the data waveform may have a length five cover code applied to five data symbols per slot (e.g., all allocated RBs). One data symbol per tone per slot may be applied, giving 72 data symbols for one subframe. This may support up to 144 data bits being carried in payload configuration 300. The same resource index may be used across all allocated RBs. Payload configuration 300 may be configured to multiplex up to five UEs. According to a particular aspect of PUCCH format three, MTC PUCCH message repetition may not be necessary.

Fig. 4 illustrates one example of a payload configuration 400 supporting an eMTC-U PUCCH design in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. In some examples, payload configuration 400 may implement aspects of wireless communication system 100. In some aspects, payload configuration 400 may be implemented by a UE and/or a base station, which may be examples of corresponding devices described herein.

The payload configuration 400 may be one example of a payload size configuration selected by a base station for MTC PUCCH messages from a UE. For example, the base station may select the payload configuration 400 as the payload size configuration and send an indication of the payload size configuration to the UE in a configuration message (e.g., in an RRC message). The payload configuration 400 may support the UE to send MTC PUCCH messages over multiple RBs, where three RBs are shown as one non-limiting example. However, the payload configuration 400 is not limited to three RBs, and may have more than three RBs. In some aspects, the payload configuration 400 includes at least three RBs for supporting MTC PUCCH message transmission on the 2.4GHz ISM band.

In some aspects, payload configuration 400 may include multiplexing of PUCCH formats 1 and 2 (e.g., format 1405 and format 2410). That is, the UE may use TDM techniques for eMTC-U PUCCH transmission, and thus less PUCCH capacity may be used for a given subframe. PUCCH format 1405 may carry ACK/NACK feedback and scheduling requests. PUCCH format 2410 may be used to carry ACK/NACK feedback, scheduling requests, and periodic channel state information. Multiplexing of PUCCH format 1405 and PUCCH format 2410 may be helpful, for example, when a particular UE has ACK/NACK feedback to send and other UEs have periodic channel state information to send. The multiplexed PUCCH format may occupy three RBs in a six RB bandwidth allocation, with the remaining three RBs allocated to a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) 415.

That is, the multiplexed PUCCH formats (e.g., format 1405 and format 410) may occupy three RBs, and the remaining three RBs may be occupied by PUSCH 415 (e.g., a first subset of RBs is allocated to MTC PUCs)CH message, and a second subset of RBs is allocated to PUSCH message). Enhanced format 1405 and format 2410 may share the same three RBs but use different cyclic shifts (e.g., a first cyclic shift subset is applied to a first subset of RBs for PUCCH format 1 and a second cyclic shift subset is applied to a first subset of RBs for PUCCH format 2). In one example, a total of 12 cyclic shifts may include that assigned to format 1405

One cyclic shift, delta guard cyclic shifts and assigned to format 2410

And (4) cyclic shift. In some aspects, format 1405 and format 2410 may have the same or different reference signal/data symbol positions, the same sequence may be used (e.g., a base sequence that may be either a long base sequence such as a single Chu sequence or a short base sequence such as a length-12 CGS), and both reference signal and data symbols may be the same across all allocated RBs (e.g., any of the options discussed above with reference to payload configurations 200 and/or 300 may be used).

In some aspects, the multiplexing capacity of payload configuration 400 may be determined as follows. Can pass through

The multiplexing capacity associated with format 1405 is determined, where Δ refers to the minimum cyclic shift gap. Can pass through

A multiplexing capacity associated with format 2410 is determined.

Fig. 5 illustrates one example of a process 500 to support eMTC-U PUCCH design in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. In some examples, process 500 may implement aspects of wireless communication system 100 and/or payload configurations 200, 300, and/or 400. Process 500 may include a base station 505 and a UE 510, which may be examples of corresponding devices described herein.

At 515, the base station 505 may select or otherwise identify a payload size configuration for the MTC PUCCH message from the UE 510. The payload size configuration may include a maximum amount of data available for MTC PUCCH messages. The payload size configuration may be one example of payload configurations 200, 300, and/or 400.

At 520, the base station 505 may send a configuration message to the UE 510 (and the UE 510 may receive) indicating a payload size configuration. In some examples, the configuration message may be sent in an RRC message.

At 525, the UE 510 may generate an MTC PUCCH message based on the payload size configuration indicated from the base station 505 and a PUCCH format for MTC uplink control information sent by the UE 510. For example, the MTC PUCCH message may be generated based on whether the PUCCH format is format 1, format 2, format 3, or hybrid format 1/2 as discussed above.

At 530, the UE 510 may send (and the base station 505 may receive) an MTC PUCCH message across multiple RBs in the frequency domain. For example, the MTC PUCCH message may be transmitted across three RBs.

Fig. 6 illustrates a block diagram 600 of a wireless device 605 supporting eMTC-U PUCCH design in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The wireless device 605 may be one example of an aspect of the UE115 as described herein. The wireless device 605 may include a receiver 610, a UE communication manager 615, and a transmitter 620. The wireless device 605 may also include a processor. Each of these components may be in communication with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

The receiver 610 may receive information such as packets, user data, or control information associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, and information related to eMTC-U PUCCH design, etc.). The information may continue to be passed on to other components of the device. The receiver 610 may be one example of aspects of the transceiver 935 described with reference to fig. 9. Receiver 610 may utilize a single antenna or a set of antennas.

The UE communications manager 615 may be one example of aspects of the UE communications manager 915 described with reference to fig. 9.

The UE communication manager 615 and/or at least some of its various subcomponents may be implemented in hardware, software executed by a processor, firmware or any combination thereof. If implemented in software executed by a processor, the functions of the UE communications manager 615 and/or at least some of its various subcomponents may be performed by a general purpose processor, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described in this disclosure. The UE communication manager 615 and/or at least some of its various subcomponents may be physically placed at various locations, including being distributed such that a portion of the functionality is implemented by one or more physical devices at different physical locations. According to various aspects of the present disclosure, in some examples, the UE communication manager 615 and/or at least some of its various subcomponents may be separate and distinct components. In other examples, the UE communication manager 615 and/or at least some of its various subcomponents, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure, may be combined with one or more other hardware components, including but not limited to an I/O component, a transceiver, a network server, another computing device, one or more other components described in the present disclosure, or a combination thereof.

The UE communication manager 615 may receive a configuration message at the UE indicating a payload size configuration for the MTC PUCCH message. The UE communication manager 615 may generate an MTC PUCCH message based on the payload size configuration and a PUCCH format for MTC uplink control information sent by the UE. The UE communication manager 615 may send the MTC PUCCH message over the set of RBs in the frequency domain.

The transmitter 620 may transmit signals generated by other components of the device. In some examples, the transmitter 620 may be co-located with the receiver 610 in a transceiver module. For example, the transmitter 620 may be one example of aspects of the transceiver 935 described with reference to fig. 9. The transmitter 620 may utilize a single antenna or a set of antennas.

Fig. 7 illustrates a block diagram 700 of a wireless device 705 supporting an eMTC-U PUCCH design in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The wireless device 705 may be one example of aspects of the wireless device 605 or UE115 as described herein. The wireless device 705 may include a receiver 710, a UE communication manager 715, and a transmitter 720. The wireless device 705 may further include a processor. Each of these components may be in communication with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

Receiver 710 can receive information such as packets, user data, or control information associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, and information related to eMTC-U PUCCH design, etc.). The information may continue to be passed on to other components of the device. The receiver 710 may be one example of aspects of the transceiver 935 described with reference to fig. 9. Receiver 710 can utilize a single antenna or a set of antennas.

The UE communications manager 715 may be one example of an aspect of the UE communications manager 915 described with reference to fig. 9. The UE communication manager 715 may further include a configuration message manager 725 and an MTC PUCCH message manager 730.

The configuration message manager 725 may receive, at the UE, a configuration message indicating a payload size configuration for the MTC PUCCH message.

The MTC PUCCH message manager 730 may generate an MTC PUCCH message based on the payload size configuration and a PUCCH format for MTC uplink control information transmitted by the UE, and transmit the MTC PUCCH message in a set of RBs in a frequency domain.

The transmitter 720 may transmit signals generated by other components of the device. In some examples, transmitter 720 may be co-located with receiver 710 in a transceiver module. For example, the transmitter 720 may be one example of aspects of the transceiver 935 described with reference to fig. 9. The transmitter 720 may utilize a single antenna or a set of antennas.

Fig. 8 illustrates a block diagram 800 of a UE communications manager 815 supporting eMTC-U PUCCH design in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The UE communication manager 815 may be one example of an aspect of the UE communication manager 615, the UE communication manager 715, or the UE communication manager 915 described with reference to fig. 6, 7, and 9. The UE communication manager 815 may include a configuration message manager 820, an MTC PUCCH message manager 825, a data symbol manager 830, a reference signal manager 835, a sequence manager 840, and an RB manager 845. Each of these modules may communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., via one or more buses).

The configuration message manager 820 may receive a configuration message at the UE indicating a payload size configuration for the MTC PUCCH message.

The MTC PUCCH message manager 825 may generate the MTC PUCCH message based on the payload size configuration and a PUCCH format for MTC uplink control information transmitted by the UE, and transmit the MTC PUCCH message through the set of RBs in the frequency domain.

The data symbol manager 830 may identify a data symbol to be used for modulating data bits in the CGS of one RB of the set of RBs based on the payload size configuration. The data symbol manager 830 may modulate each CGS of the RB, wherein each CGS of the RB is modulated with a different data symbol. The data symbol manager 830 may modulate each CGS of the RB, wherein each CGS of the RB is modulated with the same data symbol.

The reference signal manager 835 may repeat reference signals in a set of RBs of the MTC PUCCH message.

The sequence manager 840 may apply sequences for different tones of the UE to a set of RBs of the MTC PUCCH message, where the sequences are non-repeating in the frequency domain over the set of RBs. The sequence manager 840 may apply the same cyclic shift to each RB in the set of RBs of the MTC PUCCH message for the UE. The sequence manager 840 may apply the same cover code for different symbol periods in each RB of the set of RBs of the MTC PUCCH message by the UE. In some cases, the sequence comprises a Chu sequence.

The RB manager 845 may allocate a first subset of RBs of the set of RBs to the MTC PUCCH message and a second subset of RBs of the set of RBs to the PUSCH message based on the payload size configuration. The RB manager 845 may apply a first sequence to the first subset of RBs according to the first PUCCH format and a second sequence to the first subset of RBs according to the second PUCCH format, wherein the first sequence is the same as the second sequence. The RB manager 845 may apply a first cyclic shift to a first portion of the first subset of RBs and a second cyclic shift to a second portion of the first subset of RBs, wherein the first cyclic shift is different from the second cyclic shift. The RB manager 845 may use different reference signal and data symbol position configurations for the first part of the first subset of RBs and the second part of the first subset of RBs. The RB manager 845 may use the same base sequence for the first part of the first subset of RBs and the second part of the first subset of RBs. The RB manager 845 may configure the first part of the first subset of RBs and the second part of the first subset of RBs to use the same data symbol.

Fig. 9 illustrates a diagram of a system 900 including a device 905 that supports an eMTC-U PUCCH design in accordance with an aspect of the disclosure. The device 905 may be an example of or include components of a wireless device 605, a wireless device 705, or a UE115 as described herein. The device 905 may include components for bi-directional voice and data communications (including components for sending and receiving communications), such components including a UE communications manager 915, a processor 920, memory 925, software 930, a transceiver 935, an antenna 940, and an I/O controller 945. These components may communicate electronically via one or more buses, such as bus 910. The device 905 may communicate wirelessly with one or more base stations 105.

Processor 920 can include intelligent hardware devices (e.g., general purpose processors, DSPs, Central Processing Units (CPUs), microcontrollers, ASICs, FPGAs, programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combinations thereof). In some cases, the processor 920 may be configured to operate the memory array using a memory controller. In other cases, the memory controller may be integrated into processor 920. The processor 920 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in the memory to perform various functions (e.g., functions or tasks to support eMTC-U PUCCH design).

The memory 925 may include Random Access Memory (RAM) and Read Only Memory (ROM). The memory 925 may store computer-readable, computer-executable software 930 comprising instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to perform various functions described herein. In some cases, memory 925 may contain, among other things, a basic input/output system (BIOS) that may control basic hardware or software operations (such as interaction with peripheral components or devices).

The software 930 may include code for implementing aspects of the present disclosure, such code including code for supporting eMTC-U PUCCH design. The software 930 may be stored in a non-transitory computer readable medium, such as a system memory or other memory. In some cases, the software 930 may not be directly executable by a processor, but may cause a computer (e.g., when compiled and executed) to perform functions described herein.

The transceiver 935 may communicate bi-directionally via one or more antennas, wired or wireless links as described above. For example, the transceiver 935 may represent a wireless transceiver and may communicate bi-directionally with another wireless transceiver. The transceiver 935 may further include a modem to modulate the packet and provide the modulated packet to an antenna for transmission and to demodulate a packet received from the antenna.

In some cases, the wireless device may include a single antenna 940. However, in some cases, a device may have more than one antenna 940, and more than one antenna 940 may be capable of concurrently transmitting or receiving multiple wireless transmissions.

The I/O controller 945 can manage input and output signals for the device 905. The I/O controller 945 may also manage peripherals that are not integrated into the device 905. In some cases, I/OThe controller 945 may represent a physical connection or port to an external peripheral. In some cases, the I/O controller 945 may utilize an operating system (such as

Or another known operating system). In other cases, I/O controller 945 may represent or interact with a modem, keyboard, mouse, touch screen, or similar device. In some cases, the I/O controller 945 may be implemented as part of a processor. In some cases, a user may interact with the device 905 via the I/O controller 945 or via hardware components controlled by the I/O controller 945.

Fig. 10 illustrates a block diagram 1000 of a wireless device 1005 supporting an eMTC-U PUCCH design in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The wireless device 1005 may be one example of an aspect of a base station 105 as described herein. The wireless device 1005 may include a receiver 1010, a base station communication manager 1015, and a transmitter 1020. The wireless device 1005 may also include a processor. Each of these components may be in communication with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

Receiver 1010 may receive information such as packets, user data, or control information associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, and information related to eMTC-U PUCCH design, etc.). The information may continue to be passed on to other components of the device. The receiver 1010 may be one example of aspects of the transceiver 1335 described with reference to fig. 13. Receiver 1010 may use a single antenna or a set of antennas.

The base station communications manager 1015 may be one example of aspects of the base station communications manager 1315 described with reference to fig. 13.

The base station communication manager 1015 and/or at least some of its various subcomponents may be implemented in hardware, software executed by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software executed by a processor, the functions of the base station communication manager 1015 and/or at least some of its various subcomponents may be performed by a general purpose processor, a DSP, an ASIC, an FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described in this disclosure. The base station communication manager 1015, and/or at least some of its various subcomponents, may be physically located at various locations, including being distributed such that portions of the functionality are implemented by one or more physical devices at different physical locations. According to various aspects of the present disclosure, in some examples, the base station communications manager 1015 and/or at least some of its various subcomponents may be separate and distinct components. In other examples, the base station communications manager 1015, and/or at least some of its various subcomponents, may be combined with one or more other hardware components, including but not limited to an I/O component, a transceiver, a network server, another computing device, one or more other components described in this disclosure, or a combination thereof, in accordance with various aspects of this disclosure.

The base station communication manager 1015 may select a payload size configuration for the MTC PUCCH message from the UE, the payload size configuration including a maximum amount of data available for the MTC PUCCH message. The base station communication manager 1015 may send a configuration message to the UE indicating the payload size configuration. The base station communication manager 1015 may receive MTC PUCCH messages from the UE in the set of RBs.

Transmitter 1020 may transmit signals generated by other components of the device. In some examples, the transmitter 1020 and the receiver 1010 may be co-located in a transceiver module. For example, the transmitter 1020 may be one example of an aspect of the transceiver 1335 described with reference to fig. 13. The transmitter 1020 may utilize a single antenna or a set of antennas.

Fig. 11 illustrates a block diagram 1100 of a wireless device 1105 supporting an eMTC-U PUCCH design in accordance with an aspect of the disclosure. The wireless device 1105 may be one example of an aspect of the wireless device 1005 or base station 105 as described herein. The wireless device 1105 may include a receiver 1110, a base station communications manager 1115, and a transmitter 1120. The wireless device 1105 may also include a processor. Each of these components may be in communication with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

Receiver 1110 can receive information such as packets, user data, or control information associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, and information related to eMTC-U PUCCH design, etc.). The information may continue to be passed on to other components of the device. The receiver 1110 may be one example of aspects of the transceiver 1335 described with reference to fig. 13. Receiver 1110 can utilize a single antenna or a set of antennas.

The base station communications manager 1115 may be one example of an aspect of the base station communications manager 1315 described with reference to fig. 13. The base station communication manager 1115 may further include a payload size configuration manager 1125, a configuration message manager 1130, and an MTC PUCCH message manager 1135.

The payload size configuration manager 1125 may select a payload size configuration for the MTC PUCCH message from the UE, the payload size configuration including a maximum amount of data available for the MTC PUCCH message.

The configuration message manager 1130 may send a configuration message to the UE indicating the payload size configuration.

The MTC PUCCH message manager 1135 may receive MTC PUCCH messages from a UE in a set of RBs.

The transmitter 1120 may transmit signals generated by other components of the device. In some examples, the transmitter 1120 and the receiver 1110 may be co-located in a transceiver module. For example, the transmitter 1120 may be one example of an aspect of the transceiver 1335 described with reference to fig. 13. Transmitter 1120 may utilize a single antenna or a set of antennas.

Fig. 12 illustrates a block diagram 1200 of a base station communications manager 1215 that supports eMTC-U PUCCH design in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The base station communications manager 1215 may be one example of an aspect of the base station communications manager 1315 described with reference to fig. 10, 11 and 13. The base station communication manager 1215 may include a payload size configuration manager 1220, a configuration message manager 1225, an MTC PUCCH message manager 1230, a CGS manager 1235, a reference signal manager 1240, a sequence manager 1245, and an RB manager 1250. Each of these modules may communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., via one or more buses).

The payload size configuration manager 1220 may select a payload size configuration for the MTC PUCCH message from the UE that includes a maximum amount of data available for the MTC PUCCH message.

The configuration message manager 1225 may send a configuration message to the UE indicating the payload size configuration.

The MTC PUCCH message manager 1230 may receive the MTC PUCCH message from the UE in the set of RBs.

The CGS manager 1235 may demodulate each CGS of the set of RBs of the MTC PUCCH message, wherein each CGS of the RBs is modulated with a different data symbol. The CGS manager 1235 may demodulate each CGS of the set of RBs of the MTC PUCCH message, wherein each CGS of the RBs is modulated with the same data symbol.

The reference signal manager 1240 may receive a reference signal in a set of RBs of the MTC PUCCH message, wherein the reference signal is repeated in the set of RBs.

The sequence manager 1245 may recover each RB of the set of RBs of the MTC PUCCH message using a sequence of different tones applied to the set of RBs of the PUCCH message, wherein the sequence is non-repeated in the set of RBs. The sequence manager 1245 may reverse cyclic shift each RB in the set of RBs of the MTC PUCCH message using the same cyclic shift code for the UE. The sequence manager 1245 may recover each RB in the set of RBs of the MTC PUCCH message using the same cover code.

The RB manager 1250 may identify a first subset of RBs in the set of RBs for the MTC PUCCH message and a second subset of RBs in the set of RBs for the PUSCH message based on the payload size configuration. The RB manager 1250 may identify a first cyclic shift subset applied to the first subset of RBs according to a first PUCCH format (e.g., PUCCH format 1), and a second cyclic shift subset applied to the first subset of RBs according to a second PUCCH format (e.g., PUCCH format 2). The RB manager 1250 may recover a first part of the first subset of RBs using a first cyclic shift and recover a second part of the first subset of RBs using a second cyclic shift, wherein the first cyclic shift is different from the second cyclic shift. The RB manager 1250 may recover the first part of the first subset of RBs and the second part of the first subset of RBs according to different reference signal and data symbol position configurations. The RB manager 1250 may restore the first part of the first subset of RBs and the second part of the first subset of RBs according to the same base sequence. The RB manager 1250 may recover the first part of the first subset of RBs and the second part of the first subset of RBs from the same data symbol.

Fig. 13 illustrates a diagram of a system 1300 including a device 1305 supporting an eMTC-U PUCCH design in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure. The device 1305 may be an example of or include components of a base station 105 as described above (e.g., with reference to fig. 1). Device 1305 may include means for bi-directional voice and data communication, including means for transmitting and receiving communication, including a base station communication manager 1315, a processor 1320, a memory 1325, software 1330, a transceiver 1335, an antenna 1340, a network communication manager 1345, and an inter-station communication manager 1350. These components may communicate electronically via one or more buses (e.g., bus 1310). The device 1305 may communicate wirelessly with one or more UEs 115.

Processor 1320 may include intelligent hardware devices (e.g., a general purpose processor, a DSP, a CPU, a microcontroller, an ASIC, an FPGA, a programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic components, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof). In some cases, the processor 1320 may be configured to operate the memory array using a memory controller. In other cases, the memory controller may be integrated into processor 1320. The processor 1320 may be configured to execute computer readable instructions stored in the memory to perform various functions (e.g., functions or tasks to support eMTC-U PUCCH design).

Memory 1325 may include RAM and ROM. The memory 1325 may store computer-readable, computer-executable software 1330 comprising instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to perform various functions described herein. In some cases, memory 1325 may contain, among other things, a BIOS that may control basic hardware or software operations (such as interaction with peripheral components or devices).

Software 1330 may include code for implementing aspects of the disclosure, such code including code for supporting eMTC-U PUCCH design. The software 1330 may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as a system memory or other memory. In some cases, the software 1330 may not be directly executable by the processor, but may cause the computer (e.g., when compiled and executed) to perform the functions described herein.

The transceiver 1335 may communicate bi-directionally via one or more antennas, wired or wireless links as described above. For example, the transceiver 1335 may represent a wireless transceiver and may communicate bi-directionally with another wireless transceiver. The transceiver 1335 may further include a modem to modulate packets and provide the modulated packets to the antenna for transmission, and to demodulate packets received from the antenna.

In some cases, the wireless device may include a single antenna 1340. However, in some cases, a device may have more than one antenna 1340, and the more than one antenna 1340 may be capable of concurrently transmitting or receiving multiple wireless transmissions.

The network communication manager 1345 may manage communication with the core network (e.g., via one or more wired backhaul links). For example, the network communication manager 1345 may manage the transmission of data communications for client devices (such as one or more UEs 115).

The inter-station communication manager 1350 may manage communications with other base stations 105 and may include a controller or scheduler to control communications with UEs 115 in cooperation with other base stations 105. For example, inter-station communication manager 1350 may coordinate scheduling of transmissions to UEs 115 for various interference mitigation techniques (such as beamforming or joint transmission). In some examples, the inter-station communication manager 1350 may provide an X2 interface within LTE/LTE-a wireless communication network technology to provide communication between base stations 105.

Fig. 14 shows a flow diagram illustrating a method 1400 for wireless communication in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure. The operations of method 1400 may be implemented by UE115 or components thereof as described herein. For example, the operations of method 1400 may be performed by a UE communications manager as described with reference to fig. 6 through 9. In some examples, the UE115 may execute sets of codes to control the functional elements of the device to perform the functions described below. Additionally or alternatively, the UE115 may perform aspects of the functions described below using dedicated hardware.

At block 1405, the UE115 may receive, at the UE, a configuration message indicating a payload size configuration for the MTC PUCCH message. The operations of block 1405 may be performed in accordance with the methods described herein. In a particular example, aspects of the operations of block 1405 may be performed by a configuration message manager as described with reference to fig. 6 through 9.

At block 1410, the UE115 may generate an MTC PUCCH message based at least in part on the payload size configuration and a PUCCH format for MTC uplink control information sent by the UE. The operations of block 1410 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In a particular example, aspects of the operations of block 1410 may be performed by an MTC PUCCH message manager as described with reference to fig. 6 through 9.

At block 1415, the UE115 may send the MTC PUCCH message over multiple RBs in the frequency domain. The operations of block 1415 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In a particular example, aspects of the operations of block 1415 may be performed by an MTC PUCCH message manager as described with reference to fig. 6 through 9.

Fig. 15 shows a flow diagram illustrating a method 1500 for wireless communication in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure. The operations of method 1500 may be implemented by UE115 or components thereof as described herein. For example, the operations of method 1500 may be performed by a UE communications manager as described with reference to fig. 6 through 9. In some examples, the UE115 may execute sets of codes to control the functional elements of the device to perform the functions described below. Additionally or alternatively, the UE115 may perform aspects of the functions described below using dedicated hardware.

At block 1505, the UE115 may receive a configuration message at the UE indicating a payload size configuration for the MTC PUCCH message. The operations of block 1505 may be performed in accordance with the methods described herein. In a particular example, aspects of the operations of block 1505 may be performed by a configuration message manager as described with reference to fig. 6 through 9.

At block 1510, the UE115 may generate an MTC PUCCH message based at least in part on the payload size configuration and a PUCCH format for MTC uplink control information sent by the UE. The operations of block 1510 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In a particular example, aspects of the operations of block 1510 may be performed by an MTC PUCCH message manager as described with reference to fig. 6 through 9.

At block 1515, the UE115 may apply a sequence to the UE for different tones of the plurality of RBs of the MTC PUCCH message, wherein the sequence is non-repeating in the frequency domain over the plurality of RBs. The operations of block 1515 may be performed in accordance with the methods described herein. In a particular example, aspects of the operations of block 1515 may be performed by a sequence manager as described with reference to fig. 6 through 9.

At block 1520, the UE115 may send the MTC PUCCH message over the multiple RBs in the frequency domain. The operations of block 1520 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In a particular example, aspects of the operations of block 1520 may be performed by an MTC PUCCH message manager as described with reference to fig. 6 through 9.

Fig. 16 shows a flow diagram illustrating a method 1600 for wireless communication in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure. The operations of method 1600 may be implemented by a base station 105 as described herein or components thereof. For example, the operations of method 1600 may be performed by a base station communications manager as described with reference to fig. 10 through 13. In some examples, the base station 105 may execute sets of codes to control the functional elements of the device to perform the functions described below. Additionally or alternatively, the base station 105 may perform aspects of the functions described below using dedicated hardware.

At block 1605, the base station 105 may select a payload size configuration for the MTC PUCCH message from the UE, the payload size configuration including a maximum amount of data available for the MTC PUCCH message. The operations of block 1605 may be performed in accordance with the methods described herein. In a particular example, aspects of the operations of block 1605 may be performed by a payload size configuration manager as described with reference to fig. 10 through 13.

At block 1610, the base station 105 may send a configuration message to the UE indicating the payload size configuration. The operations of block 1610 may be performed in accordance with the methods described herein. In a particular example, aspects of the operations of block 1610 may be performed by a configuration message manager as described with reference to fig. 10 through 13.

At block 1615, the base station 105 may receive an MTC PUCCH message from the UE over the plurality of RBs. The operations of block 1615 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In a particular example, aspects of the operations of block 1615 may be performed by an MTC PUCCH message manager as described with reference to fig. 10 through 13.

Fig. 17 shows a flow diagram illustrating a method 1700 for wireless communication in accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure. The operations of method 1700 may be implemented by a base station 105 or components thereof as described herein. For example, the operations of method 1700 may be performed by a base station communications manager as described with reference to fig. 10 through 13. In some examples, the base station 105 may execute sets of codes to control the functional elements of the device to perform the functions described below. Additionally or alternatively, the base station 105 may perform aspects of the functions described below using dedicated hardware.

At block 1705, the base station 105 may select a payload size configuration for the MTC PUCCH message from the UE, the payload size configuration including a maximum amount of data available for the MTC PUCCH message. The operations of block 1705 may be performed according to methods described herein. In a particular example, aspects of the operations of block 1705 may be performed by a payload size configuration manager as described with reference to fig. 10 through 13.

At block 1710, the base station 105 may send a configuration message to the UE indicating the payload size configuration. The operations of block 1710 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In a particular example, aspects of the operations of block 1710 may be performed by a configuration message manager as described with reference to fig. 10 through 13.

At block 1715, the base station 105 may receive an MTC PUCCH message from the UE over the plurality of RBs. The operations of block 1715 may be performed in accordance with the methods described herein. In a particular example, aspects of the operations of block 1715 may be performed by the MTC PUCCH message manager as described with reference to fig. 10 through 13.

At block 1720, the base station 105 may identify a first cyclic shift subset applied to the first subset of RBs according to a first PUCCH format. The operations of block 1720 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In a particular example, aspects of the operations of block 1720 may be performed by an RB manager as described with reference to fig. 10 through 13.

At block 1725, the base station 105 may identify a second cyclic shift subset applied to the first subset of RBs according to a second PUCCH format. The operations of block 1725 may be performed in accordance with the methods described herein. In a particular example, aspects of the operations of block 1725 may be performed by an RB manager as described with reference to fig. 10 through 13.

It should be noted that the above described methods describe possible implementations and that the operations and steps may be rearranged or otherwise modified and that other implementations are possible. Further, aspects from two or more of these methods may be combined.

The techniques described herein may be used for various wireless communication systems such as Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA), and others. A CDMA system may implement a radio technology such as CDMA2000, Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), etc. CDMA2000 covers IS-2000, IS-95 and IS-856 standards. The IS-2000 version may be generally referred to as CDMA20001X, 1X, etc. IS-856(TIA-856) IS commonly referred to as CDMA20001xEV-DO, High Rate Packet Data (HRPD), etc. UTRA includes wideband CDMA (wcdma) and other variants of CDMA. TDMA systems may implement wireless technologies such as global system for mobile communications (GSM).

The OFDMA system may implement wireless technologies such as Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), evolved UTRA (E-UTRA), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)802.11(Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16(WiMAX), IEEE 802.20, Flash-OFDM, etc. UTRA and E-UTRA are part of the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS). LTE and LTE-A are releases of UMTS that use E-UTRA. UTRA, E-UTRA, UMTS, LTE-A, NR, and GSM are described in documents from an organization entitled "third Generation partnership project" (3 GPP). CDMA2000 and UMB are described in documents from an organization named "third generation partnership project 2" (3GPP 2). The techniques described herein may be used for the above-mentioned systems and wireless technologies as well as other systems and wireless technologies. Although aspects of an LTE or NR system may be described for purposes of example, and LTE or NR terminology may be used in much of the description, the techniques described herein are applicable beyond LTE or NR applications.

A macro cell generally covers a relatively large geographic area (e.g., several kilometers in radius) and may allow unrestricted access by UEs 115 with service subscriptions with the network provider. The small cell may be associated with a base station 105 that is less powered than the macro cell, and the small cell may operate in the same or a different (e.g., licensed, unlicensed, etc.) frequency band than the macro cell. According to various examples, the small cells may include pico cells, femto cells, and micro cells. For example, a pico cell may cover a small geographic area and may allow unrestricted access by UEs 115 with service subscriptions with the network provider. A femto cell may also cover a small geographic area (e.g., a home) and may provide restricted access by UEs 115 with association with the femto cell (e.g., UEs 115 in a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG), UEs 115 of users in the home, etc.). The eNB for the macro cell may be referred to as a macro eNB. An eNB for a small cell may be referred to as a small cell eNB, pico eNB, femto eNB, or home eNB. One eNB may support one or more (e.g., two, three, four, etc.) cells and may also support communication using one or more component carriers.

The wireless communication system or systems 100 described herein may support synchronous or asynchronous operation. For synchronous operation, the base stations 105 may have similar frame timing and transmissions from different base stations 105 may be approximately aligned in time. For asynchronous operation, the base stations 105 may have different frame timing and transmissions from different base stations 105 may not be aligned in time. The techniques described herein may be used for either synchronous or asynchronous operations.

Information and signals described herein may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced throughout the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

The various illustrative blocks and modules described in connection with the disclosure herein may be implemented or performed with a general purpose processor, a DSP, an ASIC, an FPGA or other Programmable Logic Device (PLD), discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices (e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration).

The functions described herein may be implemented in hardware, software executed by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software executed by a processor, the functions may be stored on or transmitted over as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Other examples and implementations are within the scope of the disclosure and the following claims. For example, due to the nature of software, the functions described above may be implemented using software executed by a processor, hardware, firmware, hard wiring, or a combination of any of these. Features implementing functions may also be physically located at various locations, including being distributed such that portions of functions are implemented at different physical locations.

Computer-readable media includes both non-transitory computer storage media and communication media including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. Non-transitory storage media may be any available media that can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer. By way of example, and not limitation, non-transitory computer-readable media can comprise RAM, ROM, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, Compact Disc (CD) ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other non-transitory medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code means in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer, or a general-purpose or special-purpose processor. Also, any connection is properly termed a computer-readable medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of medium. Disk and disc, as used herein, includes CD, laser disc, optical disc, Digital Versatile Disc (DVD), floppy disk and blu-ray disc where disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above are also included within the scope of computer-readable media.

As used herein (including in the claims), "or" as used in a list of items (e.g., a list of items headed by a phrase such as "at least one of … …" or "one or more of … …") indicates an inclusive list such that, for example, a list of at least one of A, B or C represents a or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., a and B and C). Further, as used herein, the phrase "based on" should not be construed as a reference to a closed set of conditions. For example, an exemplary step described as "based on condition a" may be based on both condition a and condition B without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In other words, the phrase "based on," as used herein, should be interpreted in the same manner as the phrase "based at least in part on.

In the drawings, similar components or features may have the same reference numerals. Further, various components of the same type may be distinguished by following the reference label by a dash and a second label that distinguishes among the similar components. If only the first reference numeral is used in the description, the description is applicable to any one of the similar components having the same first reference numeral, regardless of the second reference numeral or other subsequent reference numerals.

The description set forth herein in connection with the drawings describes example configurations and is not intended to represent the entire example that may be implemented or fall within the scope of the claims. The term "exemplary" as used herein means "serving as an example, instance, or illustration," rather than "preferred" or "advantageous over other examples. The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing an understanding of the described technology. However, the techniques may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring the concepts of the described examples.

The description herein is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the present disclosure. Various modifications to the disclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not intended to be limited to the examples and designs described herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims (18)

1. A method for wireless communication, comprising:

receiving, at a user equipment, UE, a configuration message indicating a payload size configuration for a machine type communication, MTC, physical uplink control channel, PUCCH, message;

generating an MTC PUCCH message based at least in part on the payload size configuration and a PUCCH format for MTC uplink control information sent by the UE;

applying a sequence to different tones of a plurality of resource blocks, RBs, of the MTC PUCCH message, wherein the sequence is non-repeating over the plurality of RBs in a frequency domain, and

transmitting the MTC PUCCH message through the plurality of RBs in the frequency domain.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identify data symbols to be used for modulating data bits in a computer-generated sequence CGS of an RB of the plurality of RBs based at least in part on the payload size configuration; and

modulating each CGS of the RB, wherein each CGS of the RB is modulated with a different data symbol.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identify data symbols to be used for modulating data bits in a computer-generated sequence CGS of an RB of the plurality of RBs based at least in part on the payload size configuration; and

modulating each CGS of the RB, wherein each CGS of the RB is modulated with a same data symbol.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

repeating a reference signal in the plurality of RBs of the MTC PUCCH message.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

for the UE, applying a same cyclic shift to each of the plurality of RBs of the MTC PUCCH message; and

for the UE, applying the same cover code for different symbol periods in each of the plurality of RBs of the MTC PUCCH message.

6. A method for wireless communication, comprising:

selecting a payload size configuration for a machine type communication, MTC, physical uplink control channel, PUCCH, message from a user equipment, UE, the payload size configuration comprising a maximum amount of data available for the MTC PUCCH message;

sending a configuration message to the UE indicating the payload size configuration;

receiving the MTC PUCCH message from the UE in a plurality of Resource Blocks (RBs); and

recovering each RB of the plurality of RBs of the MTC PUCCH message using a sequence of different tones applied to the plurality of RBs of the PUCCH message, wherein the sequence is non-repeating over the plurality of RBs.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

demodulating each computer-generated sequence CGS of the plurality of RBs of the MTC PUCCH message, wherein each CGS of the plurality of RBs is modulated with a different data symbol.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

demodulating each computer-generated sequence CGS of the plurality of RBs of the MTC PUCCH message, wherein each CGS of the plurality of RBs is modulated with a same data symbol.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

receiving a reference signal in the plurality of RBs of the MTC PUCCH message, wherein the reference signal is repeated in the plurality of RBs.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

for the UE, reverse cyclic shifting each of the plurality of RBs of the MTC PUCCH message using a same cyclic shift code; and

recovering each of the plurality of RBs of the MTC PUCCH message using a same cover code.

11. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising:

a processor;

a memory in electronic communication with the processor; and

instructions stored in the memory and operable when executed by the processor to cause the apparatus to:

receiving, at a user equipment, UE, a configuration message indicating a payload size configuration for a machine type communication, MTC, physical uplink control channel, PUCCH, message;

generating an MTC PUCCH message based at least in part on the payload size configuration and a PUCCH format for MTC uplink control information sent by the UE;

applying a sequence to different tones of a plurality of resource blocks, RBs, of the MTC PUCCH message, wherein the sequence is non-repeating over the plurality of RBs in a frequency domain, and

transmitting the MTC PUCCH message in the frequency domain over a plurality of RBs in a track.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to:

identify data symbols to be used for modulating data bits in a computer-generated sequence CGS of an RB of the plurality of RBs based at least in part on the payload size configuration; and

modulating each CGS of the RB, wherein each CGS of the RB is modulated with a different data symbol.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to:

identify data symbols to be used for modulating data bits in a computer-generated sequence CGS of an RB of the plurality of RBs based at least in part on the payload size configuration; and

modulating each CGS of the RB, wherein each CGS of the RB is modulated with a same data symbol.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to:

repeating a reference signal in the plurality of RBs of the MTC PUCCH message.

15. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising:

a processor;

a memory in electronic communication with the processor; and

instructions stored in the memory and operable when executed by the processor to cause the apparatus to:

selecting a payload size configuration for a machine type communication, MTC, physical uplink control channel, PUCCH, message from a user equipment, UE, the payload size configuration comprising a maximum amount of data available for the MTC PUCCH message;

sending a configuration message to the UE indicating the payload size configuration;

receiving the MTC PUCCH message from the UE over a plurality of Resource Blocks (RBs); and

recovering each RB of the plurality of RBs of the MTC PUCCH message using a sequence of different tones applied to the plurality of RBs of the PUCCH message, wherein the sequence is non-repeating over the plurality of RBs.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to:

demodulating each computer-generated sequence CGS of the plurality of RBs of the MTC PUCCH message, wherein each CGS of the plurality of RBs is modulated with a different data symbol.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to:

demodulating each computer-generated sequence CGS of the plurality of RBs of the MTC PUCCH message, wherein each CGS of the plurality of RBs is modulated with a same data symbol.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to:

receiving a reference signal in the plurality of RBs of the MTC PUCCH message, wherein the reference signal is repeated in the plurality of RBs.

Images